Illusionist Tricks of the Trade

[Nelzie]

I'd like to compile a short/long list of not necessarily combat related uses of Illusionist spells. Tell me what you think of the below and why it would or wouldn't work and then add one or more of your own.

Using Silent Image
Visual Magnifier The Illusionist Navigator is standing on the deck, peering out to the horizon, seeking land... He/She weaves his/her fingers/hands in the air and right before the navigator appears a large shimmering lens... Everything on the other end of the illusionary lense is magnified, thus giving the effect of a Spyglass, only larger so more people can look through it at once... It's a short-term use replacement for a Spyglass that eats up a level 1 spell and only lasts as long as the caster concentrates upon it.

Got anymore?
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Earned the following:

50 Useless Trivia Points from Serleran

[serleran]

I don't see how that would work, really, since the illusionist would be magnifying what he thought was there, and not really improving the vision or accuracy. The "navigator" would see, zoomed it, what the illusionist wanted, or thought, so it would be awesome for distraction or misdirection, but not for actual maneuvering, in my opinion... unless the illusionist was able to see it himself (maybe the illusionist is an elf?)

Oooh, or it could be used by a mercenary illusionist, like "here, your Majesty. See for yourself what is come to attack. Are you sure you do not require our services for the price asked?" :evil Me likes this one.

One of my favorite tricks with silent image is to make an image of a silent thief, the same look and everything of the party thief, and then have both (the real and fake) sneak up on a target. It will automatically fail to hear one, but which? Even if it sees one, which did it see? Its a very good way to get into position for a back attack or a sneak attack, and in this way, also doubles as a sort of low level mirror image.

[Treebore]

Two of my favorites. The fighter in the party had an duplicate illusion, in terms of fighting style and ability, but I put him in head to toe Plate Mail.

So the party had an extra fighter in the party.

The other things I did were completely roleplay. Whenever I had PC time off I would do "movies" using my illusions to show the poor kids and families the stories of our adventuring company and any other stories I was aware of.

Then I would do the same for the rich, in a local play house/theatre/etc... and charge a gold for it. The DM allowed me to make a few thousand gold off of that, over several years of game time.

He was also a highly skilled tailor and set up several shops across Faerun.

He had his best Journeyman produce clothes for the rich clientelle and the "apprentices" made clothes he handed out to the poor. Children first.

Gestafi Mendolez, my Gnome illusionist, made tailor made armor of special hides he accumulated over his career. Wyvern Hides, Chimera, dragon, etc... for "special customers" willing to pay premium prices. He made thousands off of that alone as well. Doing only maybe a half dozen such suites each year.

He also had a 29 volume set of books containing illustrations and notes on how to cast "believeable illusions" of the many monsters and creatures/races he studied over the course of his career. To the point where the DM gave anyone who tried to disbelieve my Illusions a -4 penalty.

The only other thing I did, Illusions wise, with Gestafi was to have him changing his looks all the time, to where no one knew what he looked like (he even developed real disguise skills and had disguises on under his illusions, so even true seeing wouldn't show his real appearance, which is why I fell in love with the C&C illusionist having disguise). So when he adventures, he had a totally different, but fixed persona.

That of the Arch Mage Maximus Painus, (mage and wizard titles used earlier in his career), spell slinging wizard extroidinaire. Another part of why the DM gave that -4 penalty to disbelieve my illusions,
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[Nelzie]

serleran wrote:
I don't see how that would work, really, since the illusionist would be magnifying what he thought was there, and not really improving the vision or accuracy. The "navigator" would see, zoomed it, what the illusionist wanted, or thought, so it would be awesome for distraction or misdirection, but not for actual maneuvering, in my opinion... unless the illusionist was able to see it himself (maybe the illusionist is an elf?)

Oooh, or it could be used by a mercenary illusionist, like "here, your Majesty. See for yourself what is come to attack. Are you sure you do not require our services for the price asked?" :evil Me likes this one.

One of my favorite tricks with silent image is to make an image of a silent thief, the same look and everything of the party thief, and then have both (the real and fake) sneak up on a target. It will automatically fail to hear one, but which? Even if it sees one, which did it see? Its a very good way to get into position for a back attack or a sneak attack, and in this way, also doubles as a sort of low level mirror image.

So an illusion isn't versatile enough to create an illusionary object that could take existing light, bend it and magnify it?

I figured it would be able to do that and be under the same limitations as if one had an actual spyglass in his/her hands. So, if clouds or a wall, hill, mountain or some goofball walks in front of it, that's all you see, only bigger.
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Earned the following:

50 Useless Trivia Points from Serleran

[serleran]

It can make it bigger, but how does that help if the illusionist isn't the one doing the seeing? Otherwise, you have a magnified version of what the illusionist thinks there is, or what he conjures up to be there. Now, if the illusioniist has already seen the horizon, he can then make a magnification of it (assuming it hasn't changed) but otherwise its just pure fancy of what he hopes it looks like. Its like a blind man drawing the Mona Lisa, having never seen it.... he might get some lines and curves right, but it ain't anything close to real.

[Nelzie]

serleran wrote:
It can make it bigger, but how does that help if the illusionist isn't the one doing the seeing? Otherwise, you have a magnified version of what the illusionist thinks there is, or what he conjures up to be there. Now, if the illusioniist has already seen the horizon, he can then make a magnification of it (assuming it hasn't changed) but otherwise its just pure fancy of what he hopes it looks like. Its like a blind man drawing the Mona Lisa, having never seen it.... he might get some lines and curves right, but it ain't anything close to real.

I'd allow it at my table. It's not "scrying", since it would have the limitations of the "real" object. (ie. being able to be blocked by clouds, dust, objects.) It also wouldn't take anything away from the game/story, beyond using up at least a 1st level spell slot on a rather limited use trick.
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Earned the following:

50 Useless Trivia Points from Serleran

[gideon_thorne]

The only way I'd see this effect working, is if the Illusionist was actually looking through a telescope to see the desired detail. In order to project such an image, the illusionist would have to be able to see, up close, the details he's trying to project.

Silent Image creates an illusion, mind. For a distortion effect like the described to occur, the spell would have to be able to create a real lens like effect in the air.

The effect of a magnified view your going for would be better accomplished with a modified clairvoyance spell. IMHO, of course. ^_^
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